During the Sermon, Part 1

Driving home: However, and here is the flip side of the issue, the most earnest, lively, vivid, passionate, Spirit-anointed preaching will do little or no good if it is delivered to an assembly of dull hearers.

The analogy of a radio sending station and a receiving set is used to illustrate that even powerful preaching (sending station) is useless if the hearer's spiritual 'receiver' (ears/heart) is out of order.

One commentator has stated the case most accurately when he said, the difficulty lies not with what the Old Testament says about Melchizedek, not with the writer who knows what is said, but with the hearers and their sluggish ears. The sending station was in order, but the receiving radio set was out of order. You see the imagery. No matter how powerful it is.

8:09 - 8:40 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin challenges the congregation to honestly assess if they have implemented the previous week's exhortations, warning that being a hearer and not a doer leads to self-delusion…

An anecdote about a preacher who repeated the same sermon until his congregation applied it is used to emphasize the importance of being a doer of the Word, not just a hearer.

Whether it's apocryphal or not I don't know. I heard of a certain preacher who preached the same sermon. One Sunday. The next Sunday.

22:21 - 22:29 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The insidious. Insidious and soul destructive influence of our remaining sin and of the devil himself are neither suspended nor negated while hearing the word of God.

The Matterhorn mountain is used as an analogy for stubborn facts, illustrating that ignoring, denying, or wishing them away does not make them disappear, emphasizing the immovability of spiritual realities.

The state of things. As they are actually in truth act as opposed to fancy you see facts are such stubborn things that ignoring them won't remove them denying them won't destroy them and wishful thinking won't vaporize them they stand there like the Matterhorn you can wave your hand and say abracadabra be thou gone Matterhorn and the greatest sleight of hand artist and illusionist in our day. Can't hold up a cloak and wave it and make the Matterhorn go away.

24:51 - 25:29 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The insidious. Insidious and soul destructive influence of our remaining sin and of the devil himself are neither suspended nor negated while hearing the word of God.

The analogy of a suspended ball game is used to explain that spiritual conflict is not 'paused' during worship but continues actively, picking up right where it left off.

There is an insidious influence of remaining sin in the devil himself which are neither suspended or negated under the preaching of the word of God. An influence marked by treachery slyness craftiness dangerous because more hidden than meets the first sight. By suspended I mean held back. When they suspend a ball game in the seventh inning they stop it where it was if you've got men on second and third two outs and the count is three and two.

27:04 - 27:39 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The insidious. Insidious and soul destructive influence of our remaining sin and of the devil himself are neither suspended nor negated while hearing the word of God.

The example of a shoestring breaking only on Sunday morning, or a child soiling their Sunday suit, illustrates the peculiar activity of indwelling sin and the devil to disrupt preparation for worship.

Is a very real and present spiritual experience. We're very conscious of that on the Lord's Day morning. When remaining sin and the devil are peculiarly active to unstring and unhinge the soul that is seeking to prepare itself for worship. It's just at that point when you're giving the last tug on your shoestring that it breaks Sunday morning.

27:55 - 28:21 Read in full sermon

Driving home: John Owen said never is indwelling sin more active than when the heart of the saint is set upon that which is most spiritual and the more spiritual any activity is the more indwelling sin will oppose it why because it is…

A quotation from John Owen's treatise on indwelling sin is used to explain that indwelling sin is most active when the saint's heart is set on spiritual activities, as these activities threaten its power.

and I know a few things that have come to me from human authors that have been more helpful than that treatise and in particular this insight John Owen said never is indwelling sin more active than when the heart of the saint is set upon that which is most spiritual and the more spiritual any activity is the more indwelling sin will oppose it why because it is those very activities which are going to wither and destroy and hold in check the power and the influence of indwelling sin indwelling sin knows its greatest enemies do you ever feel a great stirring up of

51:31 - 52:15 Read in full sermon

Driving home: John Owen said never is indwelling sin more active than when the heart of the saint is set upon that which is most spiritual and the more spiritual any activity is the more indwelling sin will oppose it why because it is…

The contrast between reading a newspaper without spiritual opposition versus reading the Bible and experiencing dullness or distraction illustrates how indwelling sin opposes spiritual activities.

indwelling sin when you say I think I'll sit down kick my feet up and read the headlines of the newspaper no why because though that may be good it's not the highest good but how come if three minutes before you said hey I think I'll sit down and read my bible all of a sudden you thought of fifty things you ought to do your mind became dull your spirit became heavy your eyeballs felt like someone injected a couple of cc's of lead how come come this is how come when I would do good I feigned then a law that to me who would do good evil is close at hand

52:15 - 52:58 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not underestimate the power of your 'house devil' (remaining sin) and do not forget this sober fact when you come to sit under the preaching of the word.

A quotation from Samuel Rutherford, who called indwelling sin and the flesh every Christian's 'house devil,' is used to emphasize the persistent and intimate nature of this spiritual enemy.

It's going to be as long as we're in this earthly existence. So take courage child of God and recognize that this is normal Christian experience. And then I give a word of warning. Don't underestimate the power of what Rutherford called your house devil.

64:59 - 65:22 Read in full sermon